Kentucky MBB cracks Dick Vitale's top 15 preseason rankings

Preseason rankings season is upon us. Following an up-and-down (and then up again) offseason, Kentucky finds itself right in the thick of the national conversation.

On Friday morning, ESPN college basketball analyst/legendary TV commentator Dick Vitale unveiled his preseason top 25 rankings for the upcoming 2023-24 season. As many media personalities have done over the last couple of weeks, Vitale followed suit by putting Kentucky in the mix of the country’s best programs, ranking the Wildcats at No. 13 overall.

Here is what Vitale had to say about UK in his article.

“As always, I want to see what John Calipari does with another youthful squad that includes two of the four highest-ranked newcomers in Justin Edwards and D.J. Wagner, to go along with three others ranked in the top 40.”

Check out https://t.co/wf19sRkXH0 as I Reveal my pre season TOP 25 Remember it is the Post season top 25 that really COUNTS ! ⁦@ESPNPR⁩ – via @ESPN App https://t.co/7MVb0qFYPd

— Dick Vitale (@DickieV) August 11, 2023

Along with Kentucky, Vitale has four total programs from the Southeastern Conference among his top 25, with one team managing to crack the top 10. Tennessee leads the way at No. 10, followed by Kentucky at No. 13, Arkansas at No. 14, and Texas A&M at No. 17. Additionally, he has Rick Pitino’s St. John’s squad just making the cut at No. 25.

As for the rest of Vitale’s top 25, it includes multiple opponents on Kentucky’s non-conference schedule. Kansas (Nov. 14) holds down the top-ranked spot while North Carolina (Dec. 16) comes in at No. 15 and Miami (Nov. 28) at No. 16. The Wildcats are also expected to take on No. 9 Gonzaga this season, although a date for that matchup has yet to be announced.

Vitale’s rankings aren’t quite in line with what ESPN Bracketologist Joe Lunardi thinks of Kentucky, but it’s close. Lunardi recently tabbed the ‘Cats as a six-seed in his most recent Bracketology update from this week. That was the same spot he had UK prior to the team’s 4-0 stretch in Canada at the GLOBL JAM last month and the addition of 7-foot-2 freshman Zvonimir Ivisic.

On the flip side, Las Vegas is currently much higher on Kentucky than both Vitale and Lunardi. The folks over at DraftKings give the ‘Cats +1400 odds to win the 2023-24 national championship — fourth-best in the country behind only Duke (+1100), Purdue (+1200), and Kansas (+1200). Most major sportsbooks have Kentucky at anywhere from +1400 to +1800 odds to win the title.

Dick Vitale’s Preseason Top 25

1. Kansas Jayhawks
2. Duke Blue Devils
3. Purdue Boilermakers
4. Michigan State Spartans
5. UConn Huskies
6. Marquette Golden Eagles
7. Houston Cougars
8. Creighton Bluejays
9. Gonzaga Bulldogs
10. Tennessee Volunteers
11. Florida Atlantic Owls
12. Arizona Wildcats
13. Kentucky Wildcats
14. Arkansas Razorbacks
15. North Carolina Tar Heels
16. Miami Hurricanes
17. Texas A&M Aggies
18. Villanova Wildcats
19. San Diego State Aztecs
20. USC Trojans
21. Baylor Bears
22. Saint Mary’s Gaels
23. Texas Longhorns
24. Colorado Buffaloes
25. St. John’s Red Storm